It was a tight race for the Wizards (1-2-1) and the Knights (1-3) as they dueled for positioning in the Jewish Community Center of Bayonne’s Indoor Soccer Junior Division. For the Knights, a lack of offensive firepower had derailed some great defensive efforts.

When Steven Pereira blasted an unassisted goal in the early going, the Knights sighed with relief. Down 1-0, the Wizards mustered a quick response as T.J. Wolf slipped a pass to Kyle O’Hara, who tied the game at one-all with a scoring dart. Going into the game’s last 10 minutes, both defenses showed no signs of faltering as Nate Cintron, Michael Egan, Matt Miceli and Victor Mendolaro worked their magic for the Wizards.

Meanwhile, Andrew Sprague, Harsh Easwar, Giovanni Russo and Joyce Gabrael manned the moat for the Knights. With all their resources on guard, the Wizards’ Danny Reyes managed to volley three shots on net. But the Knights stood strong and turned the tables for two rapid-fire goals as Christopher Ballance assisted Steven Pereira on two game-clinching bullseyes for a 3-1 Knights’ win.